


The Harsh Reality(A Ollie Starkey Adventure)

by Musume_Takahashi



Series: The Past Is Not Forgotten [3]
Category: We Happy Few (Video Game)
Genre: Death, M/M, Memories, Multi, Sadness, dark memories, joy, sad beginnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:42:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25329487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musume_Takahashi/pseuds/Musume_Takahashi
Summary: After watching Jack’s last broadcast, Ollie woke up to an upsetting reality. He had been wrong about this man he hated ever so much, and did so many horrible things in the name of him. So now it is time for him to set out on this journey and open this new page of his life, he had to go right these wrongs. This was not going to be a quick or easy adventure to finally get to the man who was on top of their little world. Will Ollie make it to him unscathed? Or will he break and conform, forgetting all about this quest of his and the promise he made to the young Margaret?
Relationships: Ollie Starkey & Margaret Worthing, Ollie Starkey&Constable Rowaldson, Ollie Starkey/Jack Worthing, Ollie Starkey/Uncle Jack
Series: The Past Is Not Forgotten [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723489
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**_Epilogue_ **

_ Ollie’s POV _

Ollie was going through his supplies that he had left in his train station, sighing when he saw he was running low on quite a few things. He would have to make a trip to St. George after dark to re-stock up on a few essentials. Oh how he hated to go into the village, all the bloody wellies and their bloody joy. He began to annoyedly grumble to himself as he gathered up some canteens in a decent sized satchel, taking a moment to decide whether to bring a weapon or not, deciding not to as he made his way over to his makeshift elevator. He made his way down onto the ground floor and slipped out, it was starting to become darker out.

On Ollie’s way toward the village he made occasional stops to pick some rowan berries along with some rose of gilead petals to mash up later on to make some medicated healing balm for any ‘accidents’ he seems to always have. He made sure to pick some blue currents for when he felt his blood sugar lowering. He stopped one last time at a unguarded water pump to fill up his canteens, setting them back in the satchel before finally making his way towards a hatch that ultimately led to all of Wellington Wells. He’d of taken the bridge but he knew he would have had to find some joy and by god he would not be taking that poison if he could avoid it.

Unlocking the hatch he climbed inside and shut it after he had lowered himself far enough down the ladder, fully descending after he had it re-latched. He made his way through the small shelter to find the door that led to all the tracks, it taking a bit of pull to finally pop open. He entered and made his way down the tracks, it’d take him about a half hour to arrive at the next track access door, in the meantime he quietly whistled, the sound vibrating ever so slightly off the walls around him. He was so lost in his thoughts that the time seemed to fly and he was right in front of the door. With a huff he pulled it open, making sure to shut it tight behind himself before making his way through the much larger bunker. There was a radio playing somewhere in the shelter, a voice Ollie despised coming through the speaker.  _ Jack Worthing! That bloody bastard! _ Ollie hissed to himself as he moved a bit speedily to find and shut the radio off, nearly smashing it when he found it.

The small outbursts received a scoff from the ghost of Ollie’s past, Margaret. “You know, you do not have to be so violent right?” Her soft voice spoke to him, her arms crossed as she sat upon the top bunk to the left of him causing him to look up to her. “You know I don like ‘im Margaret, that bloody bastard.” He snarled softly, his arms moving in a exaggerated manner with his words before he sighed and sat on the bunk below her. “I know but you do not need to take it out on that poor radio.” She softly huffed at him, moving down to stand in front of him, her small hands on her hips. “You’re right Margaret, you’re always right..” He gently said to her, rubbing the back of his neck as he lowered his head.

The next time Ollie looked up she was gone. With a sigh he moved to push himself up from the bunk and made his way towards the ladder leading to the outside hatch, climbing up enough to unlatch it and push it open, he peeked around just to make sure the coast was clear before climbing fully out and trying his best to quietly shut the hatch. He began to hastily move around in the shadows, slipping into the dark alleyways whenever a Constable would pass on his rounds. He cautiously made his way around the village until he stumbled upon an unlocked house and slipped inside. He surveyed his surroundings, letting out the breathe he did not release he was holding. He began to move around as silently as he could, checking all the cabinets for any food he could find. He managed to find some flour bags and some sugar along with a few things of tea leaves, slipping them into his bag as he continued his search. He searched through all the small tables and wardrobes, even the trash bins and the medicine cabinets for anything useful, packing up whatever he could find.

Ollie had cleared out most of the lower floor, moving into the small living room to check cabinets along the wall. While searching a higher cabinet he slipped a bit, knocking into the tv, leading it to turn on. He froze in place listening to the house to make sure he had not woken the occupants, breathing a sigh of relief as the house stayed quiet aside from the small tv. He took a step back and knelt down to turn the tv off just as Jack’s last broadcast began to air. He rolled his eyes, his hand moving to the power button, stopping in his tracks as he heard how distressed he sounded. He leaned back on his heels, his hand moving away from the tv as he stared in confusion,the confusion only growing as the man mentioned Margaret.  _ Why Had he just said Margaret’s name? _ His thoughts gradually began to swim around his mind.

Ollie seemed to snap back to reality when he heard Margaret’s name again, his vision fixing back on the television in front of him. His eyes widening as he heard Jack mention the word ‘daughter’ choking back a spew of curses as he frantically looked around the room for Margaret, finding her sitting on the back of one of the lounge chairs, standing and making his way over to her on shaking legs. He noticed she had an empathetic look on her face as she intently watched the television. “His daughter?” He spit out while his arms with held out in a confused manner, unable to understand why Jack had said that, or why he knew so much about Margaret. “Yes Ollie.” She said softly to him, her eyes moving to the man that was to the side of her. They had both looked back to the tv, Ollie still in disbelief of what he was hearing. Ollie felt his heart beginning to break when he heard Jack mention about someone tipping the people who had killed Margaret off.

Ollie shook his head, stepping back slightly as his expression turned to a more pained one, his hands moving up to hold the sides of his head. “No.. that’s not right! It was Jack that turned you in, and I what tried to save you.” His voice was strained as he looked back to Margaret, his head beginning to pound as his memories tried to claw their way through the wall of fog in his mind from the years of taking joy. Margaret looked to Ollie sadly, “No Ollie, it was you who turned me in..” she had a soft sorrow to her voice. “But you were my daughter..” Ollie whimpered out, his hands moving out in a gesture to her. She shook her head, “Jack Worthing, Margaret Worthing. You’re Ollie Starkey.” Her soft tone was still there but still stern enough to try to get the man to listen. He moved his hands to hold his head once mor, his voice becoming strained as he paced slowly. “No! I couldn't have. I could never have betrayed you. You’re my..” He was cut off. “Neighbor,” She crossed her arms lowering her gaze away from him. “I was your neighbor.”

“How could I… How could I do a thing like that? To a little girl?” Ollie cried out, collapsing down onto his knees, burying his face into his hands as he shook slightly. He tuned out the rest of the world around him, his memories hitting him like a train as they finally broke through the fog.He screamed out at this point, not caring if he woke anyone in the house as a few tears streamed down his stumbly cheeks and into his thick beard.  _ How could he have done something so horrible? And to a little girl nonetheless!  _ He wanted to scream again but his voice just wouldn’t let him. Finding some calm he finally looked up, Margaret had disappeared again, the television gone silent, the house slowly beginning to stir. Pushing himself up from his knees he wiped at his face as he hurriedly moved back to the back door, looking back just in time to see the residents coming down the stairs, cricket bats in their hands but their masks missing.

Ollie cursed under his breath and rushed from the house and towards the streets, his eyes wide at the scene that was unfolding all around him. It was under chaos. Masks littered the streets, a few bodies laying here and there, a lot of hysterical wellies with boobies trying to calm them and reasure them that everything was okay while the others fended off the wellies that had actually listened to the broadcast and were coming down off of their joy. “Oh bloody fuckin’ ‘ell.” Ollie mumbled softly as he looked around him, it was relatively clear of bobbies and wellies, he took that opportunity to make a run for the hatch, not stopping even as he heard the whistles and screams behind him followed by the patter of the bobbies chasing after him.  _ Why did I bloody forget my damn bangers?! _ He screamed at himself as he pushed himself as hard as he could.

Without stopping for even a breath Ollie continued to run, a wave of relief hitting him when the hatch finally came into view. He faltered slightly in his stride but kept pushing, finally reaching the hatch and throwing it open, dropping inside and pulling it shut nearly as fast as he got in. He latched it, and dropped to the floor, still hearing the bobbies scream above him.  _ They didn’t see me drop in. Good. _ He thought to himself and drug himself over to the bunk, collapsing on it as the weight of what just had happened and the new found memories he had blocked out finally hit him. He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He slipped the bag over his head and dropped it on the floor after grabbing a small bushel of the blue current berries and ate them. He laid there staring up at the bunk above him as he slowly drifted off, trying to figure out what would come next.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter One **

_ Ollie’s POV _

Ollie did not sleep well that night, his dreams plagued with fragmented memories of after the war, the ones he tried so hard to forget with the liquor and Miss Sally Boyle’s pharmaceuticals. He woke in a cold sweat, his breathing labored as his eyes stayed on the bunk above him until he fully woke. He groaned lightly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly as his head was still rolling from the night before. “Christ, I sure am shitty person, aren’t I?” He sighed as he laid his head in his hands, if he was honest he truly was disgusted with himself for more then one reason at that point.

For a few moments he stayed like this before taking in his surroundings, Margaret was no where to be seen or heard. His heart ached as he reminded himself she was only the figment that his mind made to cope with what he thought had happened after his memories had gotten so foggy and jumbled. Subconsciously he knew she was never truly there but the thought of having her around always had brought him a undeniable sense of comfort. He didn’t want to dwell on it for too long, he had some things that he had to get done. He decided fully on breaking his way onto the Parade and finding Jack, lord only knows what would happen when he did at that point.

Ollie picked the satchel up off the floor and rummaged in it for a few moments before pulling some berries out along with a canteen of pure water, munching on the berries absentmindedly before taking a sip of water and slipping the canteen back into his satchel. He slipped the strap up and over his head, letting it come to rest on his shoulder as he carefully stood, his bones creaking a little as he stretched. He let a quiet groan out as he did before making his way to the hatch door, taking a moment to look back into the room and one last time at the broadcast that changed his life. With a deep breath he turned back to the door and pulled it open with an audible click, beginning his journey back to the garden district.

It took nearly an hour to get to the hatch door he came through the night before, he just was not as energetic as he was before. He pulled the door open as he got to it and stepped through, making his way to the hatch and climbing up through it. Despite the distaste everyone around had for the man, no one said a word or tried to chase him after seeing how he was walking and carrying himself, the other downers seemed to be worried about the old Scotsman. Ollie ignored the glances and hushed whispers around him, he would not be there for much longer anyhow, seeing the adventure he had to set out on. It did not take long for him to get to the train station, making his way up to the top floor.

Ollie took what he could, fitting as much into the satchel as he could without it ripping and beginning to fill his backpacks with the rest. The top floor did not take long to clear out what was useful, leaving only the shrine for Margaret. He walked over to it and looked over the items, debating silently to himself before taking the photo and doll and carefully packing it away in the pocket inside of his vest before grabbing his other bags and walking to the elevator. He took one last look into the now basically empty room, “Goodbye.” He called out to no one in particular before pulling the lever and walking around the open area for what he could use. He ended up finding some metals scraps, glass bottles and to his luck some glucose syringes.

Once the floor was cleared out he made his way around to his last elevator, climbing on and clicking the lever. On the bottom floor he found so many different things, packing them all away. He even managed to found some sovereigns still in the left over tills, dropping them into one of the bags before continuing his task. It took quite some time to fully scavenge the bottom floor but his haul was far from disappointing. Once happy with all that he had gotten he made his way to the gate, pulling the lever and holding it until the giant door clicked to a stop. He stepped out of the station and stood still until he heard the somewhat faint sound of the door clicking shut behind him, crouching and exiting through the hole in the fence without a single glance back.

Ollie kind of stung as he walked away from what had been his home and life for the past few years, but he couldn’t wimp out now and just go back to be oblivious to what he knew. “I will not forget again, I cannot do that to Margaret.” He spoke aloud to himself as he walked towards where the hatch was. He held his head higher as he walked, he was determined at this point to get this quest he had completed. Nobody bothered him still, rather clearing a path as he walked through the cracked streets. Once back down in the hatch he unloaded everything into the magical device of the pneumatic storage including all the bags besides one of his back packs and his satchel. He left a glucose syringe in his back pack and put a canteen of water in as well, he had to go gather as much supplies as he could muster before he were to go on his way.

Slipping the back onto his back he ascended the ladder once more and made his way into the fields that surrounded the broken down homes. He grabbed everything he could; Rowan berries, petals from the rose of gilead, some blue currants. He would have to waste quite a bit of time before he would be able to pick some of the night looming nonsuchs, that gave him time to go searching for other things in the homes like cloth scraps of all kinds, metal and leather scraps, sewing kits, charcoal and all things of the like. He made his way back to the streets, checking every rubble pile and trash can he passed and storing away whatever he found. After a while of doing this he moved onto checking the houses, taking down the houses occupants with ease to avoid any confrontation.

A few hours had passed doing this, and he was quite joyed with what he had managed to find. He found enough supplies to last him for a few months and before he knew it darkness had set in. He slipped from the house he was in and back to the fields, walking for some more time before the flowers finally began to bloom. Once they did he gently picked the flowers and set them into the satchel with the other herbal ingredients he had picked earlier, oblivious to where he had actually ended up. He had not taken notice to the giant hill just yet when a snippet of memory hit him. “.... Of his own free will must he ask… But without memory, forgiveness cannot be asked… And without asking, there cannot be forgiveness….” the ghostly voice rang out in the back of his mind, a spark of a flashback to the night he had climbed Wednesday hill.

Ollie turned to see the towering hill, he knew just what he needed to do and with this he made his way to begin to climb the hill. The gate was open to his convenience, continuing his climb up the hill. Just before he reached the top he slipped his bags off and gently sat them on the ground before walking to the peak and where he first saw Margaret’s real ghost. He looked around for a moment, seeing nothing and letting out a quiet sigh. “Margaret I ‘m not sure you’re ‘ere but I wanted to come and apologize.” He called out to seemingly nobody but he could feel the presence of her ghost. “I was a coward, unable to face reality before now but it is clear to me now,” He reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, his eyes residing on the ground. “I was the one who turned you in, I was the one who hurt you. If it were not for me back then you wouldn’t have even had to hide, I was too scared to face what I had done, what I had caused.”

Ollie picked his eyes up from the ground due to a feeling of eyes on him, seeing the apparition of the girl he had betrayed oh so long ago. He walked slowly towards her. “I helped them build the tanks, helped them scare everyone into just giving the children up.” His voice was beginning to shake as he stopped feet away from this ghostly girl, dropping to his knees in front of her. “So loyal to our own dark wants I could not stand to see someone breaking the rules, hiding their child away. I did not think they would’ve killed you Margaret and I am so sorry.” There were tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. “I did something unforgivable when I told them where you were then sat back while they shot you dead and buried you up here. I was so blind to realize what we did.”

The tears slowly began to run down his cheeks, his heart breaking again as he thought back. “I am so so sorry Margaret.” His voice was quivering as he looked up at this ghost, seeing the empathetic look on her translucent face. She reached a hand out and despite not physically being there Ollie could swear he felt a warm hand on his cheek, a small thumb wiping away some of his tears. “I am glad you came here Ollie, and that you finally are facing your wrongdoings.” Her voice sounded as if it were right his his head, “I accept your apology but there is something I do need you to do before I can rest.” Ollie gave a small nod as if to say go on, not wanting to cut her off. “I need you to tell my father, tell him what truly happened here, what happened before my destiny was set in stone.”

Ollie could see a faint smile on the little girls face, but it was more of one of sadness then joy. “Of- of course Margaret, I will make sure he knows everything.” He mirrored her smile as a few last tears ran down his face. He kept his eyes on the girl until she faded away, a whisper of sorrow coming from his lips as the warmth faded from where her hand once was. He stayed there for a few more minutes just listening to the silence of night before slowly pushing himself up, dusting his knees off and walking over to pick his bags up and getting them situated once more. He walked down the hill with a fire in his heart now, he just  **_HAD_ ** to get to Jack and tell him, it was now his life’s mission even if he died while trying to complete it.

Swiftly he made his way back to the hatch, grabbing some final supplies and herbs on his way back. Once back inside the safety of the hatch he went to put everything away except the supplies he needed to make a boiler suit so that he could traverse the villages without being attacked, but knowing those Jack-O-Bean members knew how he looked he would still have to be cautious. He also ended up making a gas mask, figuring it would come in handy down the road for lord only know what. His entire demeanor was different now, while he was still the hot headed Scotsman he always had been he now had a mission, and he had to do what he needed to complete it. He had to, for Margaret.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Ollie’s POV _

Ollie set everything into the stash before locking it up and beginning his trek to the hatch on Maiden Holm, knowing it would take quite some time to get there. “How in the bloody hell am I going to get a mask? God I really don’t want to have to wear one of those wretched things.” His accented voice bounced off the walls, his annoyance very clear, shuddering just a bit at the thought of having to wear one of those things. “Can ya even wear one over facial hair?” He questioned out loud, “I swear I better not have to shave my beard.” He hissed softly as he walked, he would have to just find a way to wear it over his facial hair, he could not fathom shaving it off just to ‘fit in’. 

The Scotsman did not care much about how loud he was, he knew he would be the only one down here especially at this time of night. Surprisingly it did not take him as long as he once thought to make it to the Maidenholm hatch, pulling the heavy door open once there. He decided to go wash up in the small bathroom area with a cloth scrap and some of the tap water, being sure to not let any into his mouth. He set his military uniform in the stash leaving only his boxers on as he made his way to the wash area. Wetting the cloth he did a thorough wipe down of his bed, especially his face. He used some of the water to ‘wash’ his beard and hair before slicking his hair back and moving back to the stash.

Once finished he opened the stash and pulled the boiler suit out and got dressed into it, grabbing out some of the berries and a canteen before going to sit on the bed. He had a few hours before he had to go out and start to make his way to the Parade, he decided on eating and drinking some before hitting the sack, wanting to make sure he was as rested as he could be in case of anything. He dwelled on some things he would have to do before he could progress closer to the Parade and to Jack, coming to the idea he had to make amends with the Jack-O-Bean Society. He would also make an attempted to get a job, he wanted to have some money in case he would need anything. With these thoughts running wild he made himself comfortable on the bunk and went to sleep.

Ollie woke up feeling horrible, realizing how low his blood sugar must have been. With a few quiet groans he pushed himself up and over to the stash, getting out one of his syringes and injecting himself before eating some berries with water and listening to the morning broadcast of Jack that came over the radio. His first thought was to slam the radio off but he stopped himself and actually took a few moments to listen to it while he put all the stuff away into the stash. He walked to the ladder after locking the stash and ascended it, pushing the hatch open slowly and looking out, upon seeing no one around he climbed fully out latching the hatch back up behind him before he set out. It would not take him long to find one of the members of the club he guessed and he was right, finding one napping on a bench about a block away from the hatch.

Mustering up some courage he took a deep breath and made his way over to the bench, taking a gentle seat next to the man who startled awake. “Before you start to scream or chase me, I want to apologize for my… past behavior.” Ollie’s voice was hushed but the man beside him could hear clearly, sitting on edge as he glared at Ollie but Ollie never looked to him once. He gave a small twitch as he spoke, it felt wrong to him to be nice to the Uncle Jack obsessed person next to him. “I have come to see the error of my ways, I really should not have smashed those televisions those years ago. My memory was so foggy back then, but since I have had a quite awakening realization.” He shuddered slightly, he could not believe he had to do this. “I do not want any problems with any of you, I never.. meant to upset any of you to begin with.” This part was genuine, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

Ollie turned his head to look at the man next to him, sighing softly to see the man still tense but with a surprised look upon his face. Cautiously he reached a hand out to the man, a sign of peace and the man reluctantly took it. “Well well, I would be lying if I said I expected someone like you Ollie to come ask forgiveness. I do have to give you some props, even knowing how this could have gone you still approached me.” The man gave a small chuckle, giving a light squeeze to Ollie’s hand before letting go, hearing a sigh of relief from Ollie as he noticed him relaxing. “I thank you for that apology and will make sure to pass it along. From now on you shall be able to roam about freely without worry of us bothering you but do stay vigilant and steer clear of the doctors, I cannot promise that they will be passive when you pass them.” Ollie gave a small nod.

Just before he was going to get up from the bench he stopped himself and looked back to the man beside him. “Say mate, you wouldn’t know where a mask shop is, would you?” Ollie felt a bit embarrassed to ask this but seeing he left the village before the masks were introduced he had no clue where to go. He felt another wave of relief when the man offered to show him around the village after taking him to the shop. “Please Ollie, call me Bernard.” Ollie 

gave another small nod as they walked along the streets to the shop, Bernard catching him up on what he had missed on their way. Once at the shop Bernard sweet talked the shop keep into keeping a decent price for the mask, standing by the counter as he watched the shop keep come around to fit Ollie for a mask, watching the larger man tense as the mask was smoothed over his skin and somehow his facial hair had easily made its way comfortably through the the mask. To both of their surprise the shop keep said it was on the house, Ollie and Bernard both thanking him for it.

‘I guess I was wrong about the folks around here..’ Ollie reflected as they began the tour of the village to jog Ollie’s memory, of course it ending right back where this all began, at the hatch. “Suppose I should thank you Bernard, and you are sure you will make sure the others know everything’s okay, right?” He awkwardly rubbed his neck again as he watched the man nod. “Do feel free to drop by the club if you ever need somewhere to stay or even need a bite to eat.” Bernard spoke with what felt like a genuine smile despite the mask always making him smile, causing Ollie to smile back. “Greatly appreciated.” Ollie spoke and they parted ways, giving him the chance to reflect on their entire interaction as he walked about for a possible job opening.

Ollie steered clear of the detectors as he made his way around town once more, checking all the store windows for signs saying there was an opening. He sighed after he had checked all shops around and found nothing, wandering to the center of the village and looking up at the Constabulary as he did. While he made his way around the building he saw the flash of a sign in one of the doors, groaning quietly to himself and doing his best to not let anyone else hear him. ‘Of course, only THEY would be hiring!’ His old bitter ways came back as he grumbled making his way up the stairs and into the building, ‘At least if I was a Constable I could move freely around..’ Ollie told himself as he made his way up to the glass that separated him and another two Constable’s. 

Clearing his throat he straightened his posture and looked up to the other males. “I saw yer sign out there, are you truly taking in new Constable’s?” He watched the look the two shared before returning their gazes to Ollie, their menacing grinning masks sending a small unnoticeable shiver down his back before one spoke. “And what exactly would make a man of your… stature a good fit for being apart of the Constabulary?” The Constable gestured to Ollie’s stomach through the glass, even in the baggy boiler suit his ‘beer’ gut was still noticeable. “Well I would have ya know what I was a soldier and could very easily hold my own against you bloodyt wankers any day. So taking care of any problem wellies I come across would be a breeze.” Ollie did not care much for keeping a calm tone, his annoyance that he was assumed weak because of his weight quite visible.

The Constable’s held back their snickers as the other began to speak. “Well then, how about you prove it? Tonight accompany one of our men on their patrols, if you do well you will be fitted in the morning for your suit. But do not get your hopes up.” He snickered a bit towards the end of his sentence and Ollie nodded, he did not back down from the challenge, it would be a easy task to complete, or at least for him it would be. ‘God be damned, I never thought I would be asking these bastards to join them..’ Ollie shuddered at that thought once more as he made his way to some of the chairs, plopping down in one and ignoring the remarks from the Constable’s behind the glass as he did.

The hours seemed to fly by especially after Ollie had slipped off into a light sleep, his head laid back on the back of the chair as he had slumped down in it. The time to head out creeped up rather quickly, the Constable’s he was to be with that night taking the chance to pick on him. With quiet snickers they moved up slowly to where Ollie sat, one of them moving beside him and using his truncheon to hit the wall above the man’s head rather hard, startling him from his sleep and nearly making him fall out of his chair. The room broke out in laughter after Ollie’s quiet curses and silent glares. “The fuck is wrong with you…” Ollie trailed off before he said something he would come to regret, pushing himself up as he grumbled more nasty things under his breath.

Ollie sighed softly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we just get this bloody over with?” His displeasure strong in his tone as he gave an irked look to the Constable’s as they were finally quieting down. “Yes, let us. You are to follow Rosetti for the night.” Constable Waterhouse informed Ollie, tossing a wooden truncheon over to the man which Ollie caught with ease, rolling it over in his hands as Rosetti stepped forward, the group dispersing and setting out to their routes. Ollie walked a few steps behind the Constable as they made their way on the streets, the silence between the two so coarse that it could be cut with a knife. ‘My god this is going to be insufferable.’ Ollie thought with a roll of his eyes, letting his arms fall to his sides as he continued to hold firmly to the truncheon, his head moving slowly while they walked to take in everything around them.

A shadow further ahead of them scuttled into what looked like an alley, Ollie’s eyes widening a little as he looked to see if Rosetti had seen it. He was a bit shocked to see no sort of reaction from the Constable. He let out a sigh as he moved ahead of him, his shoes near silent as he did. He had to learn how to be silent with stepping due to how much he had needed to sneak around before. He noticed the Constable started to mimic his slow and meticulous movements as they approached the alley in which Ollie seen the figure slip into. By the time they got to the alley all that was left was a bloodied corpse lying on the ground. The pair shared a bewildered look before they looked back to the body. Ollie lowered his weapon and slowly approached the body, crouching down next to it. “What exactly are we supposed to do now?” He asked as he turned his head to look up at the tall Bobby at his side.

“We need to go back to headquarters, alert the cleaners.” Rosetti spoke with a firm tone, his cold blue eyes staring down at the body. “We also have to alert everyone to the idea that a downer is on the loose, to be on high alert.” Ollie nodded and pushed himself back to a standing position, giving a small stretch as they both turned and went straight back to the Bobby headquarters. Their night had been cut short due to this meaning Ollie’s test wasn’t able to be completed but as far as the Constabulary cared, he was a fresh set of helping hands. After everything got sorted they got everything measured up for Ollie’s uniform and had his card made up before releasing him for the night. 

‘Karma is slowly coming to these drugged out bastards.’ Ollie thought to himself with a scoff and slipping his mask off, scratching his face as he walked towards the elevator to take it to where they slept there, glad they had given him his room so early. He scoffed again as he was stopped, turning quick on his heel to see who it was. Rosetti stood behind him, a bottle held in his hand which was held out to him. Ollie glanced at the bottle before up at now also unmasked Bobby. “What the hell are you trying to give me?” He spit out, an eyebrow cocked. Rosetti rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes seeming to have softened since earlier. “I was just bringing your blackberry to you, you will need it soon enough.” His voice was calm. 

Ollie gave another small sigh, taking the bottle and slipping it into his pocket. “Well then, thanks I guess Rosetti.” He grumbled out, sharing a small look with the Constable before they parted ways and Ollie made his way to his room, ignoring practically everyone on his way. Once finally in the room he made sure to lock the door, kicking his shoes off on the way to the bed. Flopping down on the mattress he slipped the bottle Rosetti gave him from his pocket, sighing softly. “I forgot I had to start taking this shit. God help my soul.” He set the bottle on his side table and made himself comfortable on the bed, letting sleep claim his consciousness once again, his dreams showing what he could assume was memories that had once been locked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I add in Rosetti’s POV as well? Please let me know if that would be of interest to you guys!


	4. Chapter 4

_ Constable Rosetti’s POV _

Rosetti had been relaxing in the common area in the barracks, chatting away with a few of the other Constable’s about the night before’s events when Sergeant Morrison came into the common area where most of the off city blue suits were sat. Morrison looked around the room before clearing his throat, this gesture making the room fall silent and all attention go to him. “I have been informed by Cozens and Bevan that you all will have a guest joining you on the nightly patrols. He will be trailing one of you tonight to prove he can handle the job.” His voice spoke out clearly so the entire room could hear him, the bobbies sharing some curious glances. Rosetti had his eyes plastered on the Sergeant. ‘A guest? This ought to be an interesting night!’ He thought with a silent but amused huff before pushing himself up from his chair. “Sergeant sir, he could trail me tonight. It sure would bring something interesting to the night.” He was greeted by surprised looks all around even from the Sergeant.

Morrison stared at the now standing Rosetti for a few moments before letting out a chuckle. “Well then I will leave it to you Rosetti, I hope you don’t let me down. And good luck, you’ll need it.” Morrison snickered softly, giving his greetings before departing and leaving the blue suits to get ready for the night. They were all wondering at that point who it was, even Rosetti was overly curious. Rosetti left the group to head back to his room, he had to pick up some things before they all left for the night. He softly hummed on his way to the room, getting his mask and helmet from his room and putting them on before grabbing his spare bottle of joy just in case before heading downstairs to meet the group behind the reception, seeing one of the men already had a spare weapon for whoever it was that was waiting for them out in the lobby.

“I wonder who it-“ Rosetti had begun as they walked out front to one of the fellow Constable’s, stopping his sentence dead in the middle as he turned his head and saw who it was they were bringing out. “Dear god, how OLD is he?” He said in an annoyed manner as he rolled his eyes as they all approached where he was fast asleep, standing back in the crowd somewhat as he watched Jones move up to wake the man up, snickering along with his colleagues when he did wake, stepping forward when his name was said. ‘Lord I hope the night goes quietly as always.’ Rosetti thought with a sigh, waiting for Ollie before they set out for the night. The Constable was so set in his own thoughts he did not even notice the movement to their left ahead of them until he saw Ollie advancing with his weapon raised, a air surrounding the man that gave off that he knew things that no one gave him credit for.

The Constable followed the action of the man before him, his weapon drawn and at the ready, stepping as quietly as he could just a few feet behind Ollie as he let the man take the lead and just following. He was shocked when they both saw what laid in the alley, holstering his weapon as he stood at the mouth of the alley, watching as Ollie approached the body. ‘Lord what happened to that poor woman?’ He thoughts to himself as he suggested they head back to the Constabulary and alert the others and higher ups. He lead the way back, still bothered by the silence but he knew it would only make things more awkward to try breaking said silence. He sighed softly as they walked together into headquarters and made their way up in the elevator to where the Sergeant’s office was.

Rosetti knocked at the door, opening it when he heard the okay to a visibly annoyed Sergeant. “What has you two back so soon?” He asked with a small sigh, eyeing the both of them up and down, waiting for an explanation. “Well you see sir, there was an incident. Some poor girl was found beaten to a pulp in an alley. We decided it would be smart to come back and alert you and the other Constable’s, make sure everyone stays extra cautious as we have no clue who did it.” Rosetti spoke with the same firm tone from earlier, his eyes watching for the Sergeant’s reaction to this knowledge, not surprised when he saw him get more annoyed. “Thank you Rosetti, I will make sure to pass the word along. You go get something to drink and relax, I have some business to get done with Mr… Mr.. Lord I never did catch your name.”

The Sergeant gave a slightly softer look to Ollie after he spoke. “Starkey, Ollie Starkey.” Ollie responded with a flat tone. “We need to get his card done and his measurements, we will need as many hands as we can get at this point. If I need you Rosetti I will send someone to you.” With this Rosetti gave a nod and turned to leave, clasping a hand to Ollie’s shoulder for a moment before he left to go down to the blue suit floor and to grab some scotch. He slipped his mask off once the elevator doors opened, heading towards the kitchen area and grabbing a glass before pouring some scotch into his glass from an open bottle sat on the counter. He took his glass and went to sit in one of the recliner chairs, sipping gingerly at the scotch. ‘So that was the infamous Ollie Starkey. He is pretty different than how those blokes from the Jack’o’bean club described him.’ Rosetti reflected as he finally allowed himself to begin to relax.

It had been nearly forty minutes before someone walked up to him, snapping him from whatever daydream he was in. He looked up at the person in front of him, “Is there something I can help you with?” He asked pretty flatly, setting his now empty glass down on the table beside him. “I was told to bring you a bottle of blackberry for the new comer, Sergeant said you’ll be in charge of him for now.” With this the person held his hand out with the bottle, Rosetti snatching it with a roll of his eyes and pushing himself up out of the chair. “”Course I get the duty of watching over him, whatever.” With that Rosetti left and went back up to the floor where the Sergeant’s office was and where he hoped Ollie still was. He went straight towards the office, coming up short as he caught glimpse of Ollie near the elevator. ‘Must’ve taken a different route around.’ He thought as he turned and stepped quickly to him. 

“Hey Starkey wait!” He called out, closing the distance rather quickly between the two. Once stopped he gave the bottle to Ollie and watched him as he left down in the elevator to presumably his room. Rosetti went to walk the halls for a while on this floor before he took the elevator as well down to the blue suit floor and walking back to where he was originally sitting, grabbing the glass that was still on the table and going to get some more scotch before sitting back down. He allowed himself to zone back out as he enjoyed what scotch he had in his cup. ‘I got to be honest, I would be lying if I said I was not excited at having a partner.’ He thought with a small nod to himself, just basking in the silence as no one else was in the common area on the floor.

Rosetti spent another hour or two in the slowly filling common area before he brought his glass to the sink and washing it, heading to his room afterwards. Once his door was shut he set his mask down on his dresser, changing into more comfortable clothes and making his way to his bed. “I honestly wonder what to expect with Starkey.” He spoke out loud softly as he climbed into the bed and got comfortable, letting his mind wander until he finally slipped into unconsciousness. The moment he was fully asleep a whistle sounded out, not that of the waking world but something within his subconscious, a sound he had not heard in so many years. He was back on the platform, the cries and screams of children and parents combined.

The Constable looked around at the chaos unfolding, it was the day they all regretted and he did not know why he was there until he felt small arms around his waist and came back to ‘reality’ in this dreamscape. His heart shattered as he looked down at a young girl who was hugging him, sobbing uncontrollably. The next feeling was another set of arms wrapping around him and this small girl, another sob filling his ears and drowning out everyone else. He slowly looked to know it was now, seeing such a familiar face and that is when it clicked in his subconscious. “Crystal..” It was his wife, well, his  _ ex- _ wife. And the other was their daughter Jaelyn, they were sending her away. No one seemed to hear what he said but he did not care, it was the moment he began to sob as well and hugged them both closely and tightly that he now saw himself as well. It was like he was a ghost seeing the past nightmares of his life.

Just as the doors of the train closed and Rosetti watched his former self and wife run along side it until it was gone, he felt his heart shattering for god only knows time in his life. He snapped awake just as he watched the ghosts of the past collapsing and holding each other, he woke in a cold sweat, panting softly as he stared up at the ceiling he could hardly see. He laid there for a few minutes before the sound of his alarm clock startled him out of the trance he was in. This was the third time in the past two weeks he had that dream again. With a shaky breath and hand he shut the alarm off and sat up, reaching with his shaky hands for his joy bottle and downing two before he wiped his face, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. “I am so sorry girls, I failed you both.” He spoke softly to himself before he got up to get ready for the day, pushing the memories to the back of his head and putting his cold demeanor back on, he did not want to let anyone else see truly how stressed and upset he was.

_ Ollie’s POV _

The Scotsman woke the next morning near the crack of dawn, he did not have much to have dreamt about, all but his patchy memories trying to sew closed the holes. He was used to this to his surprise, all the many years he spent remembering then going to little Miss Sally Boyle for a fix, to forget again. He moved tos ide up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and giving a small shudder at the cold floor beneath his feet. Blindly he reached for the bottle he had left on his bedside table the night before, popping the lid off and gulping down one of the sickly sweet pills, attempting to not gag all while he tried to blink the sleep from his eyes. “Lord that isn’t as bad as the wellie’s joy but fuck, it is still disgusting.” He grunted softly to himself. It was not until he fully looked up that he saw the glint of something on the desk across the room and a fresh set of normal day clothes in what he could assume is a size they guessed would fit.

With a quiet groan he pushed up from the bed and stepped to the desk and picked the clothes up, they felt well-made. He of course changed and slipped his old boots on before he went to leave the room, stopping as the light glinted off the thing on the desk again. He turned to it and saw it was his keycard, something clicking in the back of his mind. “Oh right, gotta stop by the… ugh.. Sergeants.” He didn’t like saying the word, he didn’t like being an underling again. He pocketed the keycard before leaving his room, the hustle and bustle of the barracks quieting as they all saw Ollie exit the room. He shared a look with a few of them, reaching a hand up to smooth down his hair and his beard before he turned, walking to the elevator without saying a word to any of them.

Ollie climbed into the elevator and took it up to the floor he saw Rosetti press the night before, finding his way back to the office. He stood at the door for a moment unsure of how to announce his presence, deciding on a simple but hesitant knock. With the okay he opened the door, Morrison cutting him off before he even had a moment to speak. “Ah, Starkey! Great timing!” Morrison heartily spoke, his mask was off and Ollie noticed another person in the room. “This here is Mrs Pankhurst, she is the one who will be making your uniform.” Morrison spoke gesturing to the elderly day sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk gaining a small wave from her to Ollie. “All she needs is some measurements if you do not mind Starkey.” He offered the Scotsman a warm smile.

The Scotsman cleared his throat a little, stroking his beard to smooth is some more. “Ah, yes of course.” He stiffened a little as he watched Mrs Pankhurst get up and come over to him after grabbing a sewing measuring tape from her purse, allowing her to get what measurements she needed, although by the end he was beyond stiff like a board. His eyes followed Mrs Pankhurst as she wrote the last measurement down and put away whatever she took out. “It should not take me long to get this suit made, be expecting it by noon.” Mrs Pankhurst’s said with a sweet tone as she picked her bag up, sharing goodbyes with Morrison and giving a somewhat flirtatious wave to Ollie as he awkwardly stepped out of his way, his eyes never leaving her as she left. It wasn’t until Morrison cleared his throat that Ollie snapped out of it, causing him to turn his gaze to the other man and seeing an amused grin on his lips.

Ollie narrowed his eyes slightly and shook out slightly, giving a small cough. “Well, now that that is out of the way, are we going to discuss my schedule?” Ollie asked with a short tone as he stepped closer to the desk, awaiting his answer. “Ah yes, you will be under Rosetti’s supervision for some time. He will show you all the ropes and teach everything you need to know to get along.” Morrison told the scotsman as he leaned back in his chair, his hands folded in front of him while his elbows and forearms rested on the arms of the chair. “I should also warn you, Rosetti is not the.. How should I put this; the most talkative out of the bunch so do not take it personally Starkey.” He informed Ollie, his grin from earlier fading off. “And do not forget your blackberry. Though it does not mask our memories all that much it does keep you from attracting any unwanted attention from the Doctors.”

Ollie gave a few small nods as he listened to Morrison, patiently waiting for him to finish up what he was saying. “I should also mention, the blackberry, it gives somewhat of a ‘health’ boost to say.” Morrison waved his one hand in a circle towards the end of his sentence, making Ollie cock an eyebrow. “A health boost? What do you mean exactly?” This was what Morrison wanted; he gave a small snicker. “You will see later tonight Starkey, but until then I am afraid I cannot tell you anymore.” A smirk punctuated Morrison’s sentence, only causing Ollie to grow annoyed. Ollie rolled his eyes. “Fine then.” He said shortly, “If that is all, I do think I am going to grab a bite to eat.” Once given the motion it was alright to depart, Ollie did just that. 

_ The fuck does that bastard mean?!? _ He annoyedly thought to himself as he went back down to the barracks floor and towards where he could only assume was the kitchen area, still ignoring how the room quieted when the others saw him or the looks given to him, even if they were just curious ones. He stepped into the kitchen and began to look around, groaning quietly when he fund nothing of real interest, deciding on one of the apples that sat in a basket on the island in the center of the kitchen. Leaning against said counter he took a bite of the apple, his free arm held over his chest in a relaxed state. The floor slowly began to fill with sound again, everyone going back to their previous conversations after a few moments. “I see it now, this isn’t going to be a good experience here.” Ollie said softly, sighing quietly before taking another bite of his apple, not realizing anyone had come into the kitchen. 

“What makes you say that Starkey?” Rosetti’s shallow voice rang out from somewhere behind Ollie, making him nearly drop his half eaten apple before he turned to him. “Since I came out here the entirety of these bloody idiots just gawked at me, like some animal in a pen.” Ollie said with a slight glare, taking another bite or two of his apple. “And that Sergeant of yours, lord don’t even get me started on him.” He grumbled out before finishing the apple and tossing it to a basket beside the counter. He went towards the sink to give a light wash to his hands as Rosetti got himself something to eat as well.

“You’ll learn to ignore the idiots around here.” Rosetti told Ollie as he made a bowl of oatmeal, his cold tone not changing. “As for the Sergeant, just ignore him.” Ollie just silently nodded and the kitchen just fell silent as Rosetti ate and Ollie had gone back to his room, not feeling the need to make any more small talk with the other. It was basically just a waiting game for the time being, and with this time he went to lay back down. He began to plan out how he was going to get to Jack while he stared up at the ceiling as he waited for Mrs. Pankhurst to get back with his finished uniform.  _ I seriously hope I can get to him before getting too deep in this Constable business. _


End file.
